By Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
13 May 2021
Celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr Is An Occasion Of Thanking Allah For His Gift Of Endurance And Strength During The Month Of Ramazan Performing Our Duty Towards Our Needy Fellow Human Beings Through Zakat-ul-Fitr
Main Points:
1. Zakat-ul-Fitr is a compulsory duty of Muslims towards the poor, needy and destitute members of society.
2. Islam takes Zakat ul Fitr as a way of purification
3. Celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr, with love and compassion, is spiritual.
4. The offering of Namaz Eid-ul-Fitr at Home is According to Islamic Teachings
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Eid Mubarak 2021 Wishes Images: Eid Mubarak! (Photo: Pixabay)
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Eid ul Fitr is an occasion of the celebration of happiness. The happiness gets doubled if it is celebrated with others. Al-Fitr is a compulsory duty of Muslims towards the poor, needy and destitute members of the society, especially those who wish to be a part of the happiness but are unable to celebrate it for the want of necessary livelihood.
Zakat-ul-Fitr: Our Duty Towards our Needy Fellow Human Beings
During the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), one saa’ of food (one saa’, a unit of measurement equal to 4 handfuls of an average man) was given as Fitrah or Zakat ul Fitr before the Eid Namaz. This year in Delhi it will be approximately Rupees 140 – 150 per person equivalent to 2.6 Kg to 3 Kg of grain’. It is to be noted that in case one has to give Fitrah in the form of amount, it has to be of the quality of grain one uses for himself and his family.
It also has to be noted that no amount is the upper limit of Sadaqa-e-Fitr. This is the minimum amount to be paid to the poor on behalf of every member of the family including the baby born before the sighting of Eid moon, otherwise one can donate any amount in the name of Fitrah, one wishes to. The head of the family can pay Zakat ul Fitr on behalf of his family members as well as the poor of his extended family.
As reported by Ibn Umar, Zakat-ul-Fitr should be given before the Eid-ul-Fitr Namaz:
“Allah’s Apostle enjoined the payment of one Saa’ of dates or one Saa’ of barley as Zakat-ul-Fitr on every Muslim slave or free, male or female, young or old, and he ordered that it be paid before the people went out to offer the Eid prayer” (Sahih Bukhari)
During the month of Ramazan Ummah tries his best to abstain from evil kinds of evil deeds but being a human being most of us may not be able to keep ourselves as much with piety as is desired of a Muslim so Islam takes Zakat ul Fitr as a way of purification for all. Consider the following Hadees reported by Ibn `Abbas (AS):
“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordained Zakat ul Fitr [Fitrana] to purify the fasting person from indecent words or actions and to provide food for the needy. It is accepted as Zakat for the person who gives it before the Eid prayer, but it is a mere Sadaqah for the one who gives it after the prayer.” [Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah]
Spiritual Celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr
Anything that symbolises love and compassion like the celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr, between humankind is spiritual. Spiritualism educates its followers to be compassionate, affectionate and loving towards their fellow beings. Celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr is also an occasion of thanking Allah, Subhanahu Ta’ala for His gift of endurance and strength during the month of Ramazan that made the ‘fasting’ possible. This celebration is to present our obligations to Allah, the Most Merciful that He made it possible for us to live according to His commandments during the holy month of Ramazan that is a sign of His forgiveness and kindness.
We must celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr as a festival of compassion, forgiveness and kindness towards our brothers and sisters and try to bring smiles to their faces. From the perspective of spiritualism, we must make this celebration of happiness a source of eternal blessings in the world and a way of Allah’s compassion hereafter. For the contentment of our soul and eternal peace hereafter, we must regulate the habit of Allah’s remembrance all through our lives as we did during the pious and holy month of Ramazan. Consider the following Hadees in this regard:
The Prophet ﷺsaid: “There is no Muslim servant who says in the morning and the evening three times: I am content with Allah as my Lord, with Islam as my religion and with Muhammad ﷺ as my Prophet, except that it will be a right upon Allah to make him content on the Day of Judgment.” (Ahmad (18967)
The Offering of Namaz Eid-ul-Fitr at Home
Muslims all over the world are celebrating their second consecutive Eid-ul-Fitr during a pandemic obeying Allah, the Most Merciful and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW)’s Ahadees. Allah and His Apostle ask the believers to trust in Allah and take all precautionary measures when in any kind of dire situation. Life is a gift of God so every one of us has to care for its safety. The Holy Quran says:
...In Allah you must place your trust, if you are believers. (Surah Al-Ma'idah - 23) — Mufti Taqi Usmani
The importance of taking precautionary measures is also essential for the safety of one’s life and property. Consider the following Hadees reported by Anas Ibn Malik
A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, should I tie my camel and trust in Allah, or should I leave her untied and trust in Allah?” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Tie her and trust in Allah.” Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2517
Eid-ul-Fitr celebration is a festival of joy that spreads happiness and tranquillity in society. Eid prayer is a congregation of Muslims at Eidgahs and mosques for offering two Rekats Wajib Namaz as a sign of ‘thankfulness’ towards Allah. There are huge crowds in these congregations that from any point of intellect is not permissible during these trying times of Covid-19 as this epidemic spreads through handshakes and proximity of human being.
The offering of Wajib Namaz is not obligatory. It is good if you offer it and it is not sinful if you could not because of any unavoidable reason. Therefore we, Muslims, must adhere to the sayings of our Holy Prophet (SAW) and do not endanger our and others lives by assembling for congregational Eid-ul-Fitr prayer. Consider the following Hadees reported by Anas Ibn Malik:
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “None of you should wish for death due to a calamity that has afflicted him. Yet if he must do something, let him say: O Allah, keep me alive so long as life is good for me, and cause me to die if death is better for me.” Sahih al-Bukhari 5347, Sahih Muslim 2680
Wishing a very Happy Eid-ul-Fitr celebration to the world asking for prayers for those who left us for their heavenly abode and for those who are still not cured.
And Allah knows the best.
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Arman Neyazi is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism
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